New Quinn documentary?

A documentary series detailing the rise and fall of Seán Quinn, featuring candid testimony and fresh insight into claims contained in the former billionaire’s ‘Seán Quinn – In My Own Words’ could be in the works.

“None of it has been challenged because there’s evidence to support it all,” he says of what is published in his book, launched at the Slieve Russell Hotel last year, and in a recently published briefing document shared with media.

Mr Quinn’s ‘briefing document’, summarising the main points of his book, was shared one year after the book’s release as a way “to remind people”.

Mr Quinn says none of what he claimed in the book has ever been challenged, and that its publication as he sees it was an important step in “setting the record straight”.

“I’ve changed the narrative, no one is coming back saying I’m wrong,” states Mr Quinn, who’s feeling is that his detractors, like the sale of his businesses, set about systematically “chipping away at the Quinn name”.

By sitting down to “facilitate” a new documentary, Mr Quinn also hopes to address what he feels was an “unfair” portrayal of him in the three-part documentary ‘Quinn Country’, broadcast in 2022.

Over four years in the making, it was made by the award-winning Fine Point Films for RTÉ, and directed by Trevor Birney and produced by Andrew Tully.

However, soon after watching a preview of the three episodes, Mr Quinn withdrew his support for the series.

Turning to the possibility of a new documentary, he said: “I’m 78 now, last week. The first half of my life, or 70 per cent of my life, was very successful. Then I was blamed for a lot of bad stuff the last 10 or 15 years,” stuff that he said wasn’t true.

“Money is not that important to me at this stage. It’s more about trying to, not prove any great point, but to clear my name for my kids and my grandkids. There are a couple of people who have mentioned doing a new documentary with me, so I’d be happy to facilitate that.”

He speaks to The Anglo-Celt this week at a time when Mr Quinn is keeping an eye on reports that a potential new buyer has emerged for the Slieve Russell - once a jewel in the crown of the Quinn family’s business empire.

“I’ve heard bits of stuff,” he admits, whilst adding there has been “a lot of rumours”.

He expects that to continue until a new buyer is eventually confirmed.

Mr Quinn had himself secured “agreement in principle” from “a number of cash-rich individuals” hoping to back entrepreneur Sean Gallagher’s own bid for the hotel, but two of those are alleged to have withdrawn support concerned over bookings and capital investment at the four-star hotel.

The former billionaire further noted that this local bid had been rejected with no “second opportunity” to try and strike a deal.

But he says it is “no surprise” if the sale did go through, and that would be indicative of what is currently happening with the break-up of what was once a vast business empire that made him Ireland’s richest person, spanning construction products and container glass, to general insurance, plastics and real estate.

He also said he was “not surprised” to see conglomerate Sabanci Holdings buy a 94.7 per cent stake in building materials and packaging group Mannok, while local management retained a 5.3 per cent interest in the business.

“I’m not going to get into too much about it. There’s not too much more to be said. It can’t be undone.”

Mr Quinn claimed it wasn’t doing well these last few years but added “they’ve sold it now. It’s out of my control.”

Turnover was down 1.8% at Mannok in their May 2024 compared to the previous year, largely driven by price deflation for insulation and plastic packaging products.

However earnings before interest, taxes, depreciation, and amortisation (EBITDA) in the period was up 74% to €44.9M.

Separately, Mr Quinn and his family were recently asked by landowners on the Cavan and Fermanagh border to take over the running of the Slieve Rushen windfarm, once part of the Quinn Group of companies, where the currently 25-year lease is set to end in 2033.

It follows the setting up of a co-operative by 40 plus local landowners who currently lease their land to UK-based Gravis.

The 18-turbine windfarm was sold off along with the rest of Mr Quinn’s companies, and he told the Celt: “We’ll be involved in the management of that. We won’t be shareholders. It’s the landowners who own the co-op. We worked well together for the last 30 to 40 years and I suppose it’s right that something is kept in the area.”

Mr Quinn says his involvement will be to assist the local co-op tap into the future potential of the site for the overall benefit of the local community.

“All the rest is given away to foreign companies,” he says of his former businesses. “The farmers and I are all happy to try and keep something still in the community. They’ll be looking to extend the windfarm, and add solar as well. That’s the plan. The restraining factor might be that you need a good grid connection for all this power. As we see it, we could produce twice the amount of energy as currently.”